Re: How's dot.net doing nowadays?

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:40:53 -0600, "Ralph"
<nt_consulting64@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"MM" <kylix_is@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:3uhbp35htm7glunj96lfld8651dnfp20fo@xxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:15:08 -0800 (PST), Robert Conley
<robertsconley@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Jan 21, 10:03 am, dpb <n...@xxxxxxx> wrote:


3) Use a product w/ a Standard and more than one vendor rather than a
single-vendor source product

Oh yes standards, and how do products look that are built on a
standard GUI?

Well like crap.

What libraries look good? They are all from specific vendors.

Standards language C++, Java? Sure if I want to code 10 times slower
and deal with damn semi-colons.

I recently accomplished an achievement I never thought I would. I
translated a quite complex piece of C code to VB6. It took a fair bit
of time and I had to fire up QuickC for Windows in order to fully
understand some of the constructs.

Finally, I had my VB6 version. It looked a bit messy, because I had
left in many of the C source's comments so that I could retrace my
steps if it didn't work.

But it DID work! It worked first time. Not completely bug-free, I
hasten to add, but a few corrections/improvements here and there and I
was home and dry.

And THEN I stood back and wondered, why on earth was that C code so
ruddy complicated? In the process of converting the C to VB6 I
simplified things. Yet it still worked. The exercise was a revelation,
not just because of my achievement in actually doing the conversion,
having never professed to be a "C programmer" before; but a revelation
that C, I think, is deliberately arcane so as to make programmers feel
good about themselves. That's why they were always keen to belittle
Basic as a toy language.

Last year I converted some Turbo Pascal code to VB6, but that was a
doddle by comparison.


That "C" was deliberately designed to be "arcane" has been a standing joke
since its beginnings. At times even considered a hoax as witness by this
article which I remember reading a version of in the early 80's.
http://paginas.fe.up.pt/~jlopes/jokes/hoax.html

C gets its look because it was designed to be minimal. Back when we were
using Teletypes to generate code (to paper or over 150/300 baud connections)
and other languages were positional and verbose - C was a godsend. I could
generate procedures and be testing while a COBOL programmer was still
scanning his 2nd print-out.

Funny how things change - We now hear the same argument against C. <g>

Pascal owes its simplicity to the fact it was designed from the ground-up to
be a teaching language to enforce Wirth's view of "top-down programming".
Now that is a "toy language". <g>

C programmers generally consider all other languages to be "toy language"
unless through fate and circumstance they are forced to use something else.
In which case the "other" becomes "OK" within certain qualifying guidelines.
I'm always amused when programmers extol the virtues of Java and condemn
VB - with no appreciation that both serve exactly the same role within their
specific platforms.

C does require a slightly greater skill-set in order to become proficient,
and command higher salaries in the marketplace. But much of that is now
merely perception. I find it amusing that that perception is carried over
into dotNet where C# programmers make an average of 20% more than a VB.Net
programmer when there isn't a dime's worth of difference between the two.

Anyway, it is good that you got to spend a little time with C. Any exposure
is sure to raise your skill-set and make you a better programmer for your
next project. <bg>

Plus, it reinforces my long-held belief that C is just a pile of
incomprehensible bollocks.

MM
.

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